Paradigm Shift

There are a number of reasons why, at this point in my life, I feel the need to once again articulate my unshakeable belief in the value of the First Amendment. The Kat got busted for being less-than-totally-anonymous on her blog at work, and, I assume, underwent some unfortunate, blustering, and no doubt angry Administrative Disciplinary Action before moving her blog to a new space and scrubbing it so hard it reflects my bearded image back to me as I read it. Having recently undergone the same kind of nerve-racking ambush at my previous job for a similar (if not totally analogous) issue, I'd have to say that I sympathize deeply. People all over the country are getting busted at work for using their computers in a way that their employers had not intended... and I think I know why.

People our age -- yes, I am once again speaking of The Wandering Generation as an "us" and the people who employ us from Generation X or above as a "them" -- grew up with technology not only at our fingertips, but also in our schools, on our desks, and, now, in our coffee shops. We tend to see computers as a Complete Package, a Complete Package that offers not only work productivity, but also entertainment, excitement, and, often enough, a good way to get into harmless mischief. The people who hire us and who spend time writing acceptable use policies don't think about computers in quite this way. It's similar, but it's not the same. They tend to see computers as having separate identities depending on their context: a computer in an office is for work, a computer at home is for work, a computer at the library is for anonymously surfing for porn. Just kidding on that last one.

Normally, this sort of perception-shift isn't really a problem, but what if, like The Kat, it's your own computer that you've brought with you to a work environment? Is it a Work Computer all the time? What about when you're not on the clock? Or what about G-Money's company-issued laptop? This one's a little less gray, but still, when it's at home, is it still a Work Computer? Or what about smaller things, issued by a school district and colored purple, which are capable of holding Word documents and transported back and forth from home to school? When I plugged my Jump Drive into my home desktop, did that turn my Home Computer into a Work Computer? If you're a Them who thinks that a computer's function is based on physical context, then the answer to the first question is yes, the answer to the second is definitely, and the answer to the third is absolutely. But if you're an Us, then the answers are maybe, maybe, and maybe.

The plain truth is this: since The Kat wasn't being at all offensive or exposing proprietary information, they should have left her alone. A parent gets offended... well... I guess I have to say that one of the problems with most of the Thems in this society is not only that they're so easily offended, but also that they genuinely believe that they've somehow earned the right to go through life without ever being offended by anything. No wonder their children whine, cry, and scream at them while I'm trying to enjoy a quiet moment in every restaurant in town.

Maybe I'm being foolishly self-centered when I point out that it's not Us who need to revise our notions of what is and is not appropriate at work, but rather that They need to better accommodate Us. Maybe. But maybe not.